Motor and exhaust appliance for piano-players.



M. CLARK.

MOTOR AND EXHAUST APPLIANCE FOR PIANO PlzAYERS.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 29. 1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

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NORRIS PETERS, INC. LIYHQ. WASHINGTON. D. (Iv

M. CLARK.

MOTOR AND EXHAUST APPLIANCE FQH PIANO PLAYERS APPLICATION FILED A'PR.29.I914.

Patented July 11, 1916.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

NOHRKS PETERS. INC LITHOU WASHINGTON D C.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HELVILLE CLARK, 0F CHICAGQ, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO MELVILLE CLARK PIANOCOMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

MOTOR AND EXHAUST APPLIANCE-FOR PIANO-PLAYERS Patented July 11, 1916.

Application filed April 29, 1914. Serial No. 835,111.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MELvrLLE CLARK, a citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, 1n the county of Cook and State of Ill nois, haveinvented new and useful Improvements in Motor and Exhaust Appliances forPiano-Players, of which the following is a specification, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof.

The purpose of this invention is to provide an improved exhaustappliance for up crating the pneumatic action of'a player pianoparticularly adapted for service in connection with a grand piano havingautomatic player mechanismwithin its case, in view of the deficiency ofinclosed space in the usual construction of grand pianos adequate toaccommodate the necessary exhaust devices and pumping devices withoutdisfigurement of the piano as a whole;

It consists in the elements and features of construction shown anddescribed as indicated in the claims.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a side elevation of a grand piano havingassociated with it the structure embodying thisinvention comprising theplayers bench, the latter being shown in vertical longitudinal section,at the line, 1-1, on Fig. 3. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same, aportion of the piano being broken away to reduce the view in onedimension. Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the players bench and con nts,the top which forms the seat being folded back to disclow the mechanism.contained in the bench. Fig. 2 is a detail section at the line, 4:, 4:,on Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a detail view of the coupling for the air trunk.Fig. 6 is a detail view of a swivel joint in the airtrunk Fig, 7 is adetail view of the two members of'the coupling for connecting thecircuit wires of the electric motor of the piano case. I

As is well known, the space inclosed within the case and frame work of agrand piano, as ordinarily constructed, is not suitable for receivingexhaust devices comprising pumping mechanism and a motor or pedals foroperating the same, and these parts of an automatic player mechanismwhen associated with a grand piano have heretofore been necessarilymounted in such position the rear edge to a top rail, B

. through. the medium as to involve more or less disfigurement either byreason of extended casing to inclose them, or leaving them uninclosedand visible. This objection is overcome in the construction hereinshown, in which pumping devices and motor for the same are inclosed in aplayers bench of the usual dimensions of such benclnand differing fromthe ordinary bench only in being inclosed below the seat and within thesupports so as to constitute a chest or box instead of a skeleton as ismore usual.

Inthe drawings the grand piano casing, A, of usual form, may beunderstood to contain the pneumatic action for operating upon the keysand to have the tracker box comprising the rolls and roll-operatingmechanism mounted in any desirable position for sliding or swinging intoand out of operative position, being at its operative position projectedbeyond the vertical line of either the front or one of'the straightedges of the piano casing. As illustrated, it is shown at the longerside ofthe piano, being represented in operative position in Fig. 2. Theplayers bench, B, consists, as stated, of a' box or" chest having thetop, B hinged at of the rear side, said rear side having a portion, 13*,intermediate the top rail, B and the bottom rail, B", preferably toafford easy, access at that side to the mechanism. The forward wall ofthe bench has a panel, B at the upper part hinged at its upper edge tothe lower portion, 13, of said forward wall, for

opening outward and downward, as shown in Fig. 4, to open the front ofthe bench over its whole length at the front and upper part, for apurpose which will hereinafter appear.

Within the bench mounted'upon its floor,

which is up-raised from the floor on which the bench and piano standsufficiently to permit finishing the bench at'the bottom so as to causeit to present the appearance of legs or feet at the four corners, thereare mounted the several parts ofthe mechanism comprising an electricmotor, C, and pumpers, D, D, which are operated by the motor of acounter-shaft, E mounted on a bracket or chair, E, said counter-shafthaving two belt pulleys, F and *F*, the first of which is driven by abelt, Gr,

from thepulley, C of the motor, While the second, F drives by means of abelt, G a pulley, H, on the pumper crank-shaft, 71. Both pumpers areconnected with the trunk chamber, J for exhausting the same through atrunk pipe, K. which is mounted upon the top of the trunk chamber, theparts being proportioned so that at that position it is a few inchesbelow the lid or top, B of the bench. A swivel elbow fitting, L,connects the trunk pipe, K, with the out-leading trunk, M, which isdesigned for connection with the exhaust chamber of the pneumatic actionmounted on the piano casing, and not shown, but of which the trunkconnection, X, is shown mounted on the under side of the piano casing bymeans of a hanger, N and terminating in one member, N of a coupling ofwhich the mating member, M is the terminal of the trunk. M. By arrangingthe several parts so that the trunk pipe, M, leads out from near the topand one end of the bench. and so that there is unoccupied space in thebench under the lid along the whole length of the bench at the upperforward part, and providing a suitable connection, L, as described. itis possible to accommodate the trunk, M. when disconnected from thetrunk member, X, on the piano wholly within the inclosed space of thebench: and by providing the hinged panel. B, swinging downwardly asshown, the trunk member when disconnected at the coupling. M X, from themember, X may be readily swung around into the gravity of the bench andconcealed by closing up the hinged panel, B.

The connection. indicated diagrammatically by the circuit wires, 'r-z,on Fig. 2, from any source of electric energy for energizing the motor,C, is desirably controlled by the operator by means of amanuallyoperable stop device of some sort, shown conventionally at Mtmounted in the usual position on the tracker box, but it is necessary topro ide connection from the piano casing to the players bench forbringing the motor into the circuit. For this purpose the inleading andout-leading wires, X and Y, from the motor binding posts, are united ina cable. Z, which is coiled around to the trunk pipe, M, so as to becarried with it in its movement from the position which is shown indotted line in the cavity of the player's bench to the position at whichthe cable is connected by the coupling, M N', to the trunk. N, and thereis mounted upon the piano casing the socket member. of the customarycoupling for the circuit wires, the cooperating member of said coupling(see Fig. 7) being connected to the cable wires. X and Y. which arecabled as seated and coiled around the trunk, M. By this means both thetrunk and the electric connections are readily disconnected from thepiano and carried into the chamber of the players bench and concealedtherein, and the bench being mounted on casters, if desired, is readilymovable out of the way, and if desired can be moved under the piano andin general disposed of in any position which would accommodate theordinary players bench.

I claim 1. In combination with a grand piano casing, a tracker and rollcarrier mounted thereon and an automatic player action mounted therein,comprising an exhaust chamber and an air trunk leading therefrom; acasing independent ofthe piano casing wholly exterior thereto; exhaustpumpers'and an electric motor for the same mounted in said exteriorcasing, an air trunk connected with the pumpers leading from saidexterior casing and adapted for connection with the air trunk on thepiano casing; electric circuit Wires in the piano casing and acontrolling key in said circuit accessible at the piano front; circuitWires connected with the motor in the exterior casing, and disengageableterminals for the circuit wires which are located in the piano casingand'in the exterior casing respectively.

2. In combination with a grand piano casing, a track-and-roll carriermounted thereon and an automatic player action mounted therein,comprising an exhaust chamber and an air trunk leading therefrom: acasing independent of the piano casing wholly exterior thereto; exhaustpumpers and an electricmotorforthe same mounted in said exterior casing,an air trunk con nected with the pumpers leading from said exteriorcasing and adapted for connection with the air trunk on the pianocasing; electric circuit wires in the piano casing and a controlling keyin said circuit accessible at the vicinity of the tracker-and-rollcarrier; circuit wires connected with the motor in the exterior casing,and disengageable terminals for the circuit wires in the piano casingand in the exterior casing respectively, the circuit wires in theexterior cas-' ing being coiled around the air trunk lead ing from thepumpers therein, and the air trunk terminal and circuit wire terminalsin the piano casing being proximately situated on the latter.

3. In combination with a grand piano casing, a tracker-and-roll carriermounted thereon, an automatic player action therein comprising anexhaust chamber and an air trunk leading therefrom; a players benchcomprising a chamber under the seat, the front wall of the chamberhaving a longitudinally-extending opening and a movable panel forclosing said opening; pumpers and operative mechanism therefor mountedin the bench chamber; an air trunk leading zontal plane of said openingto acconnno- 10 date the trunk therein.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand, at Chicago, Illinois,this 10th of April, 191%.

MELVILLE CLARK. WVitnesses:

CHAS. 8. BURTON, LUCY I. STONE.

